Good on You: The App to Help You Do Good
We’ve seen the statistics.
Fast fashion is responsible for unbelievable amounts of waste as garments get tossed into landfill and factories emit carbon during production.
The industry runs on abhorrent labour conditions that limit workers’ quality of life and endanger them on a daily basis.
It’s easy to feel dejected hearing these statistics, especially when some of our favourite brands that are so cheap are the worst culprits in this industry. It’s hard to tell who the real “bad guys” are in the industry, and where the better options are for buying ethical, sustainable clothes.
That’s where Good On You comes in.
Good On You is an app that rates brands based on labour conditions, environmental sustainability, and use of animal products. You can even enter your location to see which brands ship to your country!
Let’s take a look at where some of these big fast fashion brands fall in Good On You’s ratings. We’ll start with Urban Outfitters:
Yikes. Only two points and a “Not Good Enough” rating. The breakdown shows why this brand got the rating it did:
Urban Outfitters receives low ratings for its labour policies and environmental impact, but has okay points for animal products. Still, like the app says, it doesn’t have concrete goals for its own sustainability, and not disclosing labour information is a big no-no for me. The “How We Rate Brands” section has more detailed information, but you get the gist. Urban Outfitters is not good enough to count as a sustainable or ethical brand.
What about other brands?
Zara is super popular, especially in Cambridge, one of Nu’s most active communities. They’ve got regular sales that are so cheap and appealing.
Definitely better than Urban Outfitters so far, but at the end of the day, fast fashion brands with a short shelf life end up creating lots of waste, despite the efforts to eliminate chemicals.
But there are alternatives!
Lucy and Yak, a brand recommended by a few people in our very own Nu community, gets good ratings on Good On You.
Lucy and Yak’s labour and environment ratings still fall in the “It’s a start” category, but they’re way ahead of Urban Outfitters. For even better recommendations, I favorited this brand and found out about even better alternatives to fast fashion.
Take MUD Jeans, for instance.
They receive great ratings on all fronts. They create long-lasting garments and ensure that suppliers are paid a living wage. All their products are totally vegan, and they even have a carbon offset program.
MUD Jeans might be out of some people’s price range, but luckily Good On You is quick to suggest similar, but more affordable brands!
Like I said, it’s easy to feel discouraged when so much of the news about fast fashion seems pretty dismal. But Good On You provides you with necessary information while presenting exciting alternatives. And, while swapping clothes and shopping at thrift stores are awesome, sometimes you do want to buy something new. When you do, Good On You is there to help you continue the fight against fast fashion.